Front Range Passenger Rail District leaders announced the name of the future train on Monday at Union Station in Denver, calling it Coco, short for Colorado Connector.
The train will operate on existing railroad tracks shared with freight trains from Fort Collins to Pueblo. It will have stations in Loveland, Longmont, Boulder, Castle Rock, and Colorado Springs.
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According to the Front Range Passenger Rail website, a trip from Fort Collins to Denver will take approximately one hour and 30 minutes, and two hours and 30 minutes from Denver to Pueblo.
More than 25,000 Coloradans voted in the statewide naming contest. Coloradans were also encouraged to submit a funny or unique video on why they were voting for their favorite train name and what it means to them.
Mother and son Cora Zaletel and Tyler Shown won the video contest. Cora is known as Aunt Coco because when her nieces and nephews were young, they couldn’t say her name. Coco is also the name of their 18-year-old family dog.
"Coco lives on, connecting families across the state, just like she did in our family for so many years," Shown said.
The family also has a practical reason for wanting Front Range Passenger Rail. Tyler lives in Denver while his mom lives in Pueblo. They say the long drive can take an hour and 20 minutes on a good day and 3.5 hours in heavy traffic.
“Driving the gap is not a fun experience, even if the weather is good, and so I really am looking forward to ditching the traffic and not having to worry about the weather," Zaletel said.
The Northern Corridor route — Denver to Fort Collins — is scheduled to start service in 2029. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said the Southern Corridor route will depend upon additional resources at the ballot box in November.
“What's being looked at is a sales tax increment, probably around a quarter to a third of a penny on every dollar transaction,” Polis said.
Unanswered questions remain concerning the total cost of the project. The Front Range Passenger Rail District website estimates the cost at between $3 billion and $3.5 billion, but Front Range Passenger Rail District General Manager Sal Pace would not provide an exact figure.
“We need to figure out exactly what we can afford, and then how many phases we can afford and what we want to fit in. As we figure out the financial piece, we're going to figure out exactly how far (and) how many phases,” Pace said.
Initial service will include three trains a day, with the goal of 10 to 15 trains a day.
Front Range Passenger Rail promises to connect communities, reduce emissions, and create jobs and economic development.
“There's going to be people using it every day, whether they're going from Loveland to Denver or Pueblo to Colorado Springs. There's also going to be people who use it to get to Denver for a night out at the arts or a broadcast game, and it's going to contribute enormously to our economy,” Polis said.
When asked for an exact dollar amount of economic activity the train will generate, Pace stepped in to answer for Polis but did not provide a specific figure.
“The service development plan contemplates economic impact,” Pace said.
The Front Range Passenger Rail District has hosted community town halls to listen to feedback from residents, business owners and community leaders.
The next town halls are scheduled for:
- Wednesday, April 8, 6-7:30 p.m.
- Northwest Metro Region Town Hall - Longmont
- Location: Longmont Museum and Cultural Center, 400 Quail Road, Longmont, CO 80501
- Wednesday, April 15, 6-7:30 p.m.
- Northwest Metro Region Town Hall - Boulder
- Location: East Boulder Recreation Center, 5660 Sioux Drive, Boulder, CO 80303
